The Porter Square post office could learn a thing or two from ELTA

Last Friday, I had to send out my first invitation order from Athens. I was nervous. Would it cost a fortune? Would it get there on time? Would the people at the post office understand how I wanted to send it? Would the post office be a mad scene and would I be there for hours?

Well, I have to say, the Greek postal system is actually quite good! Perhaps given a bad name by it's famously unreliable neighbor the Italian post, I would say it might even best the efficiency and organization of the US postal service (ok, so it's not that hard to do).

The nice, blue and yellow modern post offices are all over the city.


In great contrast to the dreaded Porter Square post office back in Cambridge I was used to, with often one person working, and lines snaking out the door, their system is very organized. When you walk in, you take a number--there are 'A' numbers and 'B' numbers depending on whether you are sending a parcel or just letters--and then just take a seat in one of their very comfy chairs while you wait for your number to be called. How civilized!

Once I got up to the window, the woman was very friendly, and I had no problem sending my parcel at all, even though her English was basically nonexistent. It cost about the same price as it would have coming from the US to Greece; the biggest perk, however is the very reliable and detailed tracking! Not only can I enter the tracking number on the ELTA website, and see it's progress within Greece, but it carries over to the USPS website where I can see that it cleared customs at JFK on Monday and should be in Atlanta in only a day or two! Amazing.

Just one of the ways in which Athens constantly surprises me with its modernity.